Kingdom Key
by Glistelle Rose
Summary: A version of Kingdom Hearts Three. "Ho oh, he was right, I guess the key-blade does have some questionable loyalty to you."
1. Chapter 1

Kingdom Key

Currently,  
Xehanort is uploading himself on the organization members. He needs seven lights and seven darkness's to form a new key-blade, which he believes will open a gateway, or door to the true light (the truth behind the essence of the human heart) or the true Kingdom Hearts. According to legend, Kingdom Hearts is an unseen land connected to the realm which all light comes from. It was guarded by a mystical weapon called a key-blade. Xehanort believes that if he can create another key-blade war as the one from legend by forcing thirteen key-blade wielders of darkness and seven key-blade wielders from the realm of light to clash with each other, that he will create a new key-blade. This is because the one from legend was shattered in a key-blade war, when people believed the key-blade was a bad thing and wanted to learn secrets of Kingdom Hearts. The original key-blade was shattered into twenty pieces according to lore, and seven key-blades were made out of its pieces to protect the light of the realm. The seven princesses of heart, usually of royal decent and with pure, innocent hearts uncontaminated by hateful thoughts of others, could also be a tool to create the true key-blade. These princesses of light are a part of the legend of the key-blade itself. Xehanort believes that even without the key-blade war if he assembles the Seven Princesses of Heart and pits them against his darkness's he will have a new key-blade, which he will use to unlock the door to kingdom hearts and learn the essence of human nature. If he can gain control of kingdom hearts it will make him essentially all powerful- by current theory, he would be able to recreate the worlds in whichever way he wanted. But, the truth behind kingdom hearts, what it is - and it's many other secrets, has never been before uncovered, and the human heart is truly unpredictable

A mysterious tower that stands lopsided and twisted folds into the sky. Enchanted brooms sweep the outside grounds as dignified,loyal soldiers. This tower was once part of a world made from gorgeous, endeared music, and home of an ancient wizard. But recently it has become a make-shift sanctuary for a set of beloved key-blade wielders. The first and second floors have been changed into make shift dormitories. Glowing bordery covers the walls around each platform. Charms provide for extra rooms that are not always visible until the next time their owner returns. Kairi's is the only room on the second floor. Training equipment is scattered along the border of her floor.

Riku and Kairi move out of the room of stars. covered in hanging items used for training and games and enough room for battles when the room is cleared.  
Kairi and Riku spar in the training room on the way up the tower.  
Riku- "That's right. when I count to three, come at me."  
Kairi returns to her original fighting- ready position with the handle of her key-blade pointing down to her right side.  
Riku- "alight, one, two, three, come on."  
Kairi charges Riku and Riku guards himself.  
Riku- "Alright, show me your basic attack chain."  
she reluctantly charges him, swinging to her left from her right side first with her right hand only. then whips her key-blade aloud her back to come in on her left.  
Riku parry's and lands a swing to her side, knocking her back.  
"You're not afraid you're going to hurt me are you?,  
I'm not that fragile, so you can come at me with all you've got."  
Kairi does a double attack chain quickly landing a blow. She blocks Riku's first swing and manages to pin his keyblade to the floor.  
Riku- "Okay, that's enough for me. Wow, Kairi. You've advanced more than I ever could have imagined."  
Kairi smiles. "Thank you. Lets head back upstairs. You said yen Sid wanted to talk to us earlier."


	2. Chapter 2

Kairi and Riku battle

Kairi stands against the wall at the bookshelf to listen quietly. Her right foot is curled up on her toes and her hands are folded behind her back.  
Yen Sid "As was explained to Micky before, even if we deliberately withheld from collecting seven lights to combat the thirteen darkness's the organization would still target the seven princesses.  
Riku "The likelihood, is that the seven princesses will be targeted immediately. That leaves us with almost no time to assemble seven lights. We may not be able to gather arms fast enough.  
King Mickey "Are you suggesting we set out to collect the princesses, before Xehanort does?  
Riku- "That may be the wisest answer. Ansem wasted no time last go around, we can't expect that he hasn't prepared some way to attack them again, seeing as the princess, -well, most of the princesses, are much easier targets than we are, it only seems fit to assume that he may not truly be concerned with us at all. This may be his way of preparing just another back up plan."  
King Mickey- We can't just go about uprooting the princesses of heart; this is just what we want to prevent. The worlds would be thrown into chaos.  
Riku looks back at Kairi for her opinion.  
Kairi-" It sounds as if Xehanort is always two steps ahead. I don't know, I'm sure it'd be nice to have more female company about. I was the last thing stopping him before; I don't want it to be that way again, for any of us…

Yen Sid- "This is admirable. Though, we should be cautious in the matter. Too many eggs in one basket may indeed be the spark that attracts our most unwanted attention. Xehanort still needs his last vessel of darkness to assemble a key-blade war, as long as he is without that- we need not worry about an immediate collision between light and darkness.  
And as long as even one of each is missing from light or darkness, Xehanort will be unable to form either union.  
"Micky"  
The tiny King stands alert.  
"I have a task for you, as of this moment, as this young lad pointed out there is indeed, a need to assure immediate protection to the princesses of heart. Should Xehanort attempt to acquire the princesses, the royal guards should be alerted. This is not an assured fix, but it will buy time. Please do this for me."  
"Riku, I also need you on this task, if anything has gone wrong, and the princesses you come upon have indeed fallen under distress it is imperative that our king have a backup.  
Yen Sid- You are dismissed"  
Riku-"But, Master, um, Yen Sid, What about Kairi, wont she be in danger without another wielder here, and what about Sora, he hasn't come back."  
Yen Sid- "I may not be practiced in the use of the Key-blade of late, but my skills as a wizard have not depleted. I am Confident that Donald, Goofy and myself am more than enough protection as now for your friend." Yen Sid eyes then became very serious. "I will do my best to protect her, do not worry.

Traverse town (TWEWY)

(Not long after Sora visits the dream traverse town.)

Sora walks along the brick streets along the east side of the dream traverse town. This is the reality within dreams where Riku originally was, while Sora was snatched and placed in his own dream version of the worlds, so that Xehanort could possess him in the hope of obtaining a new vessel to make a key-blade.

Sora: "It seems, empty. Where are Neku, and Joshua? I guess they've already woken up. But, then, why are the dream eaters still here?" Sora tries a door in the back alley. This is the one at the end of the passage where he first encountered Pongo and Perditta, who, at the time, had lost their litter of Dalmatian puppies. But when he tries the door to the back streets, he finds it locked.

(Talking to himself) "It's not locked, it's not even moving. That's not right." Sora gazes along the edges of the door. The frame sticks out and so does the door knob, but nothing moves when he tries to turn it. "It's...fake."

(A cracking sound comes from behind.)

The walls around him start to fold. The windows collapse into the walls. Running from the alley, he turns around to watch as the street fills itself in. Only a wall is left.

Sora: "That's not how it worked before.

I've never seen anything like this. Before when a world woke, or when it got to the point that it fell asleep, it'd be pushed away to the next One. Did this happen to Riku in the original dream worlds? It couldn't have."

A lamp breaks through the surface of the bricks just below his feet and its post juts it into the air. Sora barely misses it. He runs. Lamp posts just like it continue to blast from below as he runs. Bricks fly into the air but always miss. The bricks below him start to wave as if heat reflecting from the ground was making its image bend. The bricks change color and lose their detail, turning into black asphalt. His entire surrounding swirls like light through water. Sora covers his face, key-blade still in his hand.

When he looks up, he is standing in the middle of a roadway. Shops are on both sides of the street and gigantic buildings rise with eye catching posters. For the first time in traverse town, He felt suddenly lost. Nothing familiar remained.

Sora: "Neku... Rhyme!?... "Sora trails off...He looks up.

"It's like it's just recalling the places…Where are all the people?" Sora raises his keyblade and a light brightens at its end, readying to open the pathway to the real world.

He sees a girl standing alone out of the corner of his eye.

"Shiki!"

A small girl with long red hair holds a small black cat toy and stands next to the street on the sidewalk. She disappears in a flash of light when Sora lowers his key-blade and runs towards her.

Sora: (sighs) "I guess that part of the world just woke up…"

Sora returns to the real world.

Traverse town looks different from its dream world. But to Sora's relief it is not the empty, massive streets dashed with skyscrapers that appeared before in the dream world. Old timely shops line each side of a small town paved with bricks. He lands in a section covered in balloons.

Sora: "Whoa!" He is surprised when a stilt walker dressed in bright clown makeup and a hat reminiscent of a jester stalks closely past.

Voice from a rooftop: "Hello there. Well, did you find what you were looking for?"

Sora looks up to see Joshua half draped off the side of a nearby building.

Sora:"I'm closer now. Have Neku, Rhyme or the others shown up?" Joshua looks surprised.

Joshua: "I'm amazed at how up to date you are, tell me so I'll be sure, how do I know you?"

Sora: "You don't know? It's me, Sora? You were dream diving too right - to bring Neku and the others back into existence?"

Joshua: "Wow, you get excited quickly. Yes, I was dream diving, and it seems to me I do remember you, as different as you look.

Sora : "That's good. "Sora looks down at his clothing.

Joshua: "But, Sora, don't expect it from anywhere else, after all, most people don't remember things from their dreams, unless, like you and I, there's some magic involved." Joshua floats down from his perch. Colorful balloons hang in the background.

Shiki, Rhyme, and the other players have appeared in the west part of town. However, there have been new developments as well. It seems this world is trying to recreate their world, as in the on they're from, and eventually every world that has been lost in the realm. As you saw when you came in, the landscape has gotten significantly larger.

Sora: " Is that a bad thing, I mean it's pulling things back together like it's supposed to right?

Joshua: "That's not my concern. My concern is, I'm not so sure how much more this world can take. It seems like anything and everything we've lost before is being pushed back into reality all at once. The version of reality that Neku, Shiki, Rhyme and Beat are from was an alternate one, after they died. There was another world version that went along with that reality too, the one of the living. And, Neku and the others aren't the only ones to reappear here, reapers from the reapers game that was taking place and anyone lost within alternate sleeping worlds, such as the cafe shop owner on the corner, and the street performers that you see."

Sora: "you're afraid that the world could become overloaded?"

Joshua :" Quite, really."

"I just came from the dream version of this world, and what I saw was pretty dramatic..."

"I wouldn't worry about it, it does seem much bigger than before but eventually, we'll get things sorted out. We did last time didn't we? "

Joshua: "That is very optimistic Sora. Neku and the others are still in a battle for their lives. In their world, and now this world, they are caught still in the reaping game. That aside, you can likely find Neku in the nearby WildKat Cafe."

Sora: "Information acknowledged. I'll keep a look out. "

Sora sweeps the world, looking for signs of people he knows. He goes into the cafe around the corner just as Joshua said. The café is styled like an average big-city coffee shop.

An enigmatic, dark haired man is leaned against the counter.

A street performer and several pedestrians are scattered among the table and chairs.

"So, another dead one, oh wait, you're not dead."

Sora: "Not dead? What do you mean dead?"

"The only way to enter the reapers game- It's to die, and then of course offer up your most treasured thing, and that's anything, memories, loved ones.."

"Neku's dead, no, I don't believe you, if they're dead, how could I have met them."

Sora looks down realizing he only has met players in dreams."

"Oh Nevermind…"

"That's right, the reapers game, suppose it's my job to keep it in order. Better make sure you don't become a contestant huh?"

Sora: "If they're dead how would they, um walk in here?"

"Only place they can walk in, normally. You see, this cafe was originally part of an alternate Shibuya, you should know you're stuff man."

Sora: "…"

"Name's Sanae Hanekoma, You'll probably call me Mr. H. Any drama about, you come see me, I'm producer for the game."

Sora: Don't know what that is but, okay, will do. So have you seen any players recently?"

Hanekoma: "Yep."

Sora: (waits...) "- and"?

"Oh, they're about."

Sora: "Okay..."

"You keep your head up kid."

Sora stays about checking the WildKat café momentarily, then head's off.

Joshua : "Sora, before you leave, I have found something that might interest you. You have experience with the men in black robes, so I wonder if you could enlighten me a little.

"Organization Thirteen!?"

Joshua laughs. "Not so sure. She doesn't seem to have bad intentions I mean. "

Sora looks perplexed.

"Right over there." Joshua gestures behind Sora's back.

A black coated figure is leaned against an olden style lamp post.

Sora slows as he gets closer.

A blue eyed face wrapped in black hair peeks out from under the hood.

"It's you, how?"

Girl:" ..."

"Can't you talk?"

Sora again waits through silence, and finds himself intently watching her face. He feels happy, almost relieved, but doesn't know why.

Sora: "Hey there, - will you come with me?"

She continues to say nothing as he holds out his hand.

-"Um, I know you don't know me, but..."

As by a miracle she reaches up to it.

Just then Sora's key-blade appears horizontally in his left hand. The handle lays flat in his palm. Her hand grasps the key-blades guard.

"I don't know what that's about but, let's go."

Two characters with large black wings attached to their backs appear.

"Not so quick, your little friend and I have a situation. You see she's set

for termination, and so are you so get ready."

Sora: "Termination? What are you talking about?"

"Dont' you know anything, were reapers, so our job is to erase players, and anyone in the U.G. is up for grabs."

Sora: "U.G?"

Male reaper: "She means the underground, the world of the dead"

But we're not players, and we're not in the underground, parts of other worlds are here too."

The boy reaper points to the ground and licks a lollipop.

The ground Sora is standing on is concrete as that in what must be Shibuya city. Only a step away is cobblestone like that or general traverse town.

Female reaper: "Enough!" She attacks and Sora's key-blade jumps hands to his right. He turns as fast as he can, but with the hooded girl still beside him it's a close miss.

Sora: "If that's the way you want to go, fine!"

The two fight. Sora runs ahead in front of the dark haired girl and blocks the first few attacks.

The male reaper stands back, uninvolved and licking a lollipop.

"Uzuki, they're not even players...can't you let it go for once."

"Let it go!? That's not going to make my rank go up"

"All said, I think technically attacking living persons is breaking the rules even on underground territory..." He drags out his words, teasing.

"You see this, on my back, which means we are in the land of the dead, not Real Ground, and that means anyone involved is either a player or noise."

Sora holds his Key-blade to his side for the few seconds that the male reaper speaks.

The girl called Uzuki summons several animal like creatures which move to attack him. He quickly smacks them away with his key-blade.

While he's fighting them off Sora turns around to check the dark haired girl is unharmed. But she is no longer there. He starts to run back to follow her around the corner into familiar traverse town territory.

A large monster suddenly blocks his path.

Uzuki: "Not so fast, pet."

For a second Sora doesn't know who he should fight between the monster and the reaper. He decides monster. Shooting it with ice seems to slow it down, and it's easily affected by magic. When he's done fighting the monster, he slashes away Uzuki's weapon. "Stop it, I'm not part of the games okay, I just want to get the girl and leave this world."

Uzuki: "That's what everyone want's isn't it? To get back to R.G" she speaks sadly.

"Uzuki Yashiro."

"My name's Sora." He backs away with his key-blade in front of him.

"I'm Koki Yakira."

Sora escapes around the corner to find a portal to darkness. Surprised, he immediately runs to jump through. He just barely makes it.

He straitens out of a dodge roll and looks around.

All around him is endless black and cold. The ground is wet sand patched with smooth rock. Heartless are no strangers to this place, but none show. That doesn't keep the uneasy feeling of true emptiness away.

"Good to see you." The voice came from behind him.

Sora: "I don't know your voice... who are you? He was facing an organization 13 robe."

"Hmm, I was just out milling about, to see if we could recruit a few more soldiers. Seems I found one. Heck seems I found a spare."

Sora: "Hand her to me!"

Unknown member: "Hah, not a chance."

He pulls the girl back behind him by her arm, her hood slips off, and she pulls back. The unknown member opens a portal of darkness a few yards away. Sora throws his key-blade and it makes impact, knocking the hooded figure to his heals. The girl shakes her arm free and runs to him. The key-blade jumps from his hand and into midair between the two of them just as she reaches him.

Hooded figure: "Ho oh, he was right, I guess the key-blade does have some questionable loyalty to you."


End file.
